The heels and soles of shoes are subject to wear which then requires replacement of the worn part or discard of the shoes. Normally the heels of shoes evidence the most wear and many types of shoes have the heels separately formed so that the heel may be replaced without resoling the shoe. Other and many newer types of shoes have integral soles and heels. Whatever the type of shoe, the cost of labor is sufficiently high that replacing even the heels of a pair of shoes is quite expensive.
One approach to the foregoing problem has been the provision of protective attachments, sometimes called "taps". These devices are commonly made of metal and may have integral nails therein for driving into the bottoms of soles and heels of shoes usually at the front and back of same. Taps provide only limited protection and are often considered objectionable because of the noise they generate when a person walks on a hard surface while wearing shoes so equipped. While these devices do have a definite utility, they do not solve the basic problem.
Many attempts have been made to provide replacement soles and heels for shoes that may be installed by the user. These replacement items are normally attached by an adhesive in order to preclude the necessity of employing cobblers' tools; however, such items have experienced only limited success. There yet remains the problem of expensive replacement of heels, the most rapidly wearing part of shoes.